Growing Nerine Lilies in the Northwest

These easy-care bulbs deliver a shock of summer color in the middle of fall

I ’m not sure how being curious about something turns into interest , or how an involvement turns into a solicitation . I ’m also not sure when a compendium suddenly turns into an obsession . My obsession with nerine lilies ( Nerinebowdeniiand curriculum vitae . , zona 8–11 ) swipe up on me .

An Autumn Surprise

My first experiment with nerine lily , also call Guernsey lilies , Jersey lilies , or naked noblewoman , was with a match of bulbs that I purchased online because I wanted to crowd the hardiness envelope . After run into the odorous little lightbulb , I proceeded to keep them in a pile and move them in and out of the greenhouse rather than put them in the land at the risk of freezing . My 2nd dabble at the edge of the rabbit hole of obsession came with a pot of medulla from Dan Hinkley . After tuck them into a seam that did n’t get a lot of sexual love , piss , or care under a Formosan Fingers ™ pittosporum ( Pittosporum illicioides‘MonToroko ’ , Zones 7–10 ) , I did n’t think about them again until fall . Suddenly there they were , pushing through the foliage , immingle with many other works . They halted my procession with their sheer , upright flower and their pernicious scent .

Select Cultivars

From there , it was a free fall . At this head in my collecting , most of my finds were the straight species , N. bowdenii , along with cultivars ‘ Edelweiss ’ , a stunning clean - anthesis nerine , and ‘ Isabel ’ , a short pink and white salmagundi . These are both growing well . Soon I collect cultivar ‘ Mr. John ’ , ‘ Anastasia ’ , ‘ Elegance ’ , ‘ other scarlet ’ , ‘ Aphrodite ’ , and ‘ Patricia ’ . I even give in to two unnamed salmon- and orangish - colored cultivars that are not hardy and are still living in a tidy sum ; I ’m not ready to give up their touch in the nursery quite yet .

Conditions and Care

Endemic to South Africa , these bulbs acquire foliage in the spring and then bloom after the foliage has died down in the spill — hence the “ naked ” in “ nude ladies . ” Once established , the bulbs last for days without much caution . Many cultivar are hardy to USDA Zone 7 , preferring dry soil with destiny of sun . engraft them with the upside of bulbs raised a act out of the soil help with the showery winters in our area . you’re able to implant them in declination or spring .

Learning More

ThePacific Bulb Societyis a large imagination in our region for connecting with other gardeners who are very versed about growing nerines . They offer more information about cultivation , geographical zone challenges , share seeds and medulla , and enable you to start a collection of your own .

Sources

Some nerine lilies may be difficult to detect in the United States , although they are vulgar in the UK and South Africa . You should be able to find some from choice online UK nurseries . I ’ve discover some atRavenna Gardensin Seattle and many from Dan Hinkley , who sells his plant throughWindcliff works . Another great source isEasy to Grow Bulbs , although they sell out fast!If you buy them in bloom from nurseries , then you could plant them then . If you buy them as bulbs from catalogue , plant them in spring .

— Susan Calhoun is the owner of Plantswoman Design in Bainbridge Island , Washington .

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